Warren battles past Stevenson
It wasn't horror-film gory.
But Friday's defensive struggle between Stevenson and Warren in Gurnee sure did get bloody.
Two players, one from each team, suffered nasty gashes on their heads that would require stitches. And another, from Stevenson, left a trail of blood on the floor from a likely broken nose.
Two of those three players, both from Stevenson, were sent to a local hospital and didn't finish the game.
Even once all the bandages were administered, Stevenson just couldn't stop the bleeding. With its height and depth, Warren overwhelmed the Patriots en route to a 52-31 North Suburban Conference Lake Division victory.
Led by Darius Paul and JoVaughn Gaines, who scored a game-high 16 and 14 points respectively, the Blue Devils move to 13-2 overall and stay perfect in the Lake Division at 6-0. Stevenson, meanwhile, falls to 7-8 overall and 2-4 in the division.
“It was a tough game, but I kind of like it when they're that physical,” said Warren guard Jameris Smith, who suffered a deep laceration just about his left eye when he and Stevenson guard Mike Fleming accidentally knocked heads on the last play of the first quarter. Smith was trying to get a shot off and Fleming was trying to defend it.
“Mike and I went into the training room together right after it happened and we were talking about it,” Smith said. “It's a rivalry game. It's going to be physical. That's the fun of it.”
Smith, who was headed to the hospital for stitches after the game, was at least able to return and play. He barely missed a beat and gave the Blue Devils valuable minutes off the bench from midway through the second quarter until the end of the game.
But Fleming. Stevenson's point guard and leading scorer, did not return to the floor. He scored just 1 point on the night.
Then, in the third quarter, Stevenson took another hit.
Guard Johnny Ricchio got slammed inadvertently in the nose and was bleeding so profusely that the game was stopped so that his blood could be wiped off the floor. He went directly to the hospital.
“It was a physical battle,” said Stevenson forward Kevin Earl, who led the Patriots with 10 points. “We knew it was going to be a physical war out there.”
The Blue Devils went on the offensive early, outscoring Stevenson 16-4 in the first quarter. And even though Warren suffered a dry spell and went scoreless for the first five minutes of the second quarter, Stevenson got only as close as four points (16-12). By halftime, thanks to a big second quarter by Paul, the Blue Devils were sitting comfy again, up 26-14.
“Every time we play (Stevenson), it's like a rivalry game,” Paul said. “It was tough out there, but we were able to use our height. We're really tall inside, and even outside, and we're able to get a lot of rebounds.”
The 6-foot-6 Paul was particularly tough on the glass. He scored two of his three baskets in the second quarter on putbacks.
“I thought Darius played well,” Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. “When we were really struggling to score in that second quarter, he got us going. When he's active around the basket, he's really tough. He's a force inside.”
Without Fleming directing the action from the outside, Stevenson often seemed out of sorts. The Patriots turned the ball over 22 times.
“We don't (normally make so many turnovers). But Warren is going to make you turn it over,” Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. “But we didn't have our point guard (Fleming) and we lost a two-guard (Ricchio) as well. It sounds like an excuse, but considering that, I'm encouraged at not backing down to a state-ranked team on their own floor.
“That was good for our moral fiber.”